Mr. De la Bèreasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Government will reduce the amount payable to the Treasury from wireless licences, so as to augment the revenue of the British Broadcasting Corporation to enable them to meet the heavy revenue expenditure for television?
§ Lieut.-Colonel ColvilleThe possibility of an increase on account of the cost of television service in the percentage of net wireless revenue to be allocated to the Corporation was foreshadowed in paragraph 8 of Part I of the Memorandum by the Postmaster-General on the Report of the Broadcasting Committee, 1935 (Command Paper 5207). The Treasury are now satisfied, on representations which have been made by the Corporation, that an increase under this head will be necessary in the current year; and a Supplementary Estimate will be presented to Parliament accordingly in the spring. The amount of the increase remains to be considered in the light of an examination of the figures of actual and estimated expenditure which the Corporation have been asked to submit.